Law Enforcement

LAPD library of homicides puts 'murder books' online
The task wasn't feasible before because of a lack of resources, but this first-of-its-kind partnership with the FBI will place sought-after information a click away for detectives, who sometimes spend weeks tracking down a file's location. When the database is complete, investigators will be able to search any aspect of a murder book, including license plate numbers and gang monikers.
Los Angeles Times

Man, 24, stabbed to death near popular Venice restaurants
A 24-year-old man was stabbed to death Monday near a popular stretch of restaurants and bars in Venice, and police were asking for the public's help tracking down his killer. The man, identified as Guillermo Perez, was found about 12:15 a.m. at Pacific Avenue and Washington Boulevard, police said. A passerby who found the victim flagged down patrol officers, and Perez was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was died, according to police.
City News Service

Elderly man killed by police in Bel-Air was armed, threatening
A 75-year-old man fatally shot by police in Bel-Air early Sunday had first threatened a utility worker checking a gas leak in the area, police said. Robert Bandler was killed about 3:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of Stone Canyon Road, where he was holding a shotgun from his second-story balcony when police arrived, KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported. Arriving officers felt threatened and shot Bandler, police told CBS Los Angeles. An investigation into the shooting is underway. No officers were injured.
Los Angeles Times

Handyman arrested after allegedly taking toddler from party
A Boyle Heights handyman was arrested Sunday after he was found naked with a 3-year-old girl he had allegedly kidnapped from a nearby party. The incident began late Saturday, when the family of the girl noticed she was missing about 11 p.m. from a family baby shower in the 3200 block of Malabar Street, KTLA-TV reported. Neighbors told reporters the girl was playing in the front yard when she disappeared.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD fights zombies, car burglars in new video
Move over, "Walking Dead." In a quest to take a bite out of crime, the LAPD's Northeast Division has produced a new video, starring - what else? - zombies. Cue a seven-minute homemade mini-movie of zombies marauding down a northeast Los Angeles street. The moaning zombies steal iPads and other items from parked cars in the videotaped public service announcement. Cut to a couple in their living room. "Chad, the zombies are out again," a woman tells a man reading a book, who acts matter-of-fact until the conversation turns to his car.
Los Angeles Times

Ban on 3-D guns at issue
As the technology to print 3-D firearms advances, a federal law that banned the undetectable guns is about to expire. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he's seeking an extension of the law before it expires Dec. 9. He said the technology of so-called 3-D printing has advanced to the point anyone with $1,000 and an Internet connection can access the plastic parts that can be fitted into a gun. Those firearms can't be detected by metal detectors or X-ray machines.
Associated Press

FBI warns of U.S. government breaches by Anonymous hackers
Activist hackers linked to the collective known as Anonymous have secretly accessed U.S. government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI warned this week. The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems Inc's software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left "back doors" to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a memo seen by Reuters.
Reuters

Jail

Separate jail facilities seek to cut recidivism rates among veterans
The San Diego sheriff offers classes, special housing to increase the chances vets don't repeat offenses. Programs also assist with drug and alcohol abuse. Thirty-two veterans serving sentences or awaiting trial have volunteered to live in the module separate from the other prisoners and participate in classes meant to increase their chances of making a law-abiding return to civilian life.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

As plastic-bag ban looms, L.A. plans to give out totes
With a plastic-bag ban set to go into effect in Los Angeles on the first of the new year, city officials are launching a campaign to get residents in the habit of using reusable totes. The city has teamed up with environmental groups and nonprofit organizations that work with veterans and former gang members to produce a line of bags made from recycled or repurposed materials. Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, who led the push for the ban and who is now raising money to manufacture the totes, said the bags will be given away for free.
Los Angeles Times